Oh, no…………………..I am in so much trouble. ……………..I couldn’t find a mah jong game anywhere in Messina today and now I am about to face the wrath of the Chinese dragon. Heidi and I looked everywhere in Messina and when I asked in a shop, I got a Sicilian look that said, “go away or wake up tomorrow very close to the head of a horse”……….So I did.
Now, I have to call my new best friend and tell her the bad news. I can only think that she will think even worse of me. I am going to call her now as I know she has late sitting dinner and I should catch her in the cabin, it is 7 pm…………here goes…………first, let me put my brown pants on…………….wish me luck.
Ok, I’m back. You know, this blog contains many stories and many day-to-day happenings all of which are true and I have to continue that trend when I report the call did not go well.
Oh boy, is that one grumpy lady. I received another torrent of abuse in English/Chinese and a few other languages for good measure. I offered her a choice of games, cards, etc. but nope……..it’s mah jong or nothing. Then, just as I thought she had exhausted herself, she found her second wind and then told me that the food at the Chinese station on board is not real Chinese food. I then made the mistake of asking the difference and that was another golden mistake on my part. Ten minutes after I had hung up the phone I was exhausted…………..and…………………..very hungry! I could just eat a big plate of Chinese food right now.
Anyway, tonight, I am sending her a bottle of wine at dinner and also a birthday cake. Ken and the waiters will sing happy birthday to her – but it’s not her birthday, In fact, I see from the manifest her birthday was in February, but I thought I would cover myself in case she says I forgot her birthday this year. Hopefully, this will confuse her and let me off the hook for a few hours as she digs into a lovely piece of chocolate cake…………..then again……..knowing my luck, she is probably allergic to chocolate.
Just sailed past Stromboli and here are a few photos taken by Heidi and also some of the sunset.
OK, let’s get back to business and start up today’s Q & A, sponsored by ASTON MARTIN AND THE NEW DB9 AND VANQUISH MODELS – DRIVEN BY ALL GOOD CRUISE DIRECTORS………..except me 
Firstly, I just received a message from my PA who is currently hard at work in his corner cubicle. The answer is for Carlynn who asked about the name of the new P&O ship. She will be called VENTURA and she will debut in the spring of 2009. Thanks to my PA for the kind assistance, I am glad they’re so cooperative and never tell me to bug off.
MIKE M – I hope you get to read this before sailing with me on Wednesday for your Grand Med cruise. So let me quickly answer your questions before you leave.
1. Suit or tux………………My answer to this is based on what I have seen these past few years. More men seem to be wearing business suits rather than a tuxes or dinner jackets. Now, a man in a tux always looks good (says Heidi) but the fact of the matter is most men seem to prefer suits. The choice is yours and you will not look out of place in either ….you say potato, etc.
2. I am sure you are concerned about bringing your five-year-old onboard and I also know the extra challenges you face as I my godson is also autistic. I also know that your son will have the most wonderful time and we will all be here to offer any assistance that is needed. We do rent strollers and the charge is $25 for the whole 12 days. I personally would not bring yours, it’s one less thing to worry about, just rent one here. You are correct when you say Pompeii is not stroller friendly and Venice is a little tricky with the bridges. Everywhere else is no problem and I suggest we chat onboard if you have any questions relating to specific tours etc. We will be proud to welcome you all onboard and please do not worry about a thing, because every little things going to be alright. Don’t worry, about a ting mon……..sorry, slipped away again. Have a safe trip and see you soon.
MRMISSINGTHESMOKEFREEPARADISEBUTLOOKINGFORWARDTOTHENEARLEYSMOKEFREECARNIVALFREEDOM – is someone in the doghouse? I have a spare bed if needed.
IVANA – Thank you for enjoying the blog so much and I will let you know when we can get the book published. Congratulations on getting married and for choosing a Carnival cruise on the Carnival Valor to take you to St. Thomas. What a wonderful combination. You asked about some “inside” information on what to do during this special time. May I suggest you book the supper club for your wedding night? This will be the perfect end to what I know will be the perfect day for you. I do not know what time your wedding is but may I suggest after the wedding you go to Sapphire Beach. It is the most beautiful beach in St. Thomas and very peaceful and I think a quiet walk on the beach afterwards may be very nice. If you want to do something more exciting in the afternoon, may I suggest the Atlantis Submarine. How many people can say they spent their wedding day 100 feet below the Caribbean Sea? Anyway, apart from that, just enjoy your special day. And if you need any advice on the wedding night, I am your man!
DORTHE CALIMBAS – What a wonderful posting. I am not sure where you read the rude crew comment but let’s chat about this for a little bit. If you buy a barrel of 100 apples chances are there will be one bad one. The same is true for any company that employs 33,000 oceangoing crewmembers as we do. There is going to be the odd crewmember who does not meet expectations and then it is our job to train them further. We do this with constant onboard hospitality classes hosted by our dedicated trainers who make sure that they are indeed ready to be Carnival team members. I really enjoyed reading your story about the crewmember who brought your luggage. That handshake you gave him I know made his day. I encourage you all to chat with the crew, find out about the, their country and their experiences and this will further enhance your cruise. I am interested as to what bloggers think about this. Heidi and I send you our best and hope to see you soon.
ROBERT SCHNEIDER – .hello mate. This is Robert, folks, who has sailed with me approximately 30 times. We are good friends and he and Suzanne his wife are very special people. Hope the weather is better that when you posted your comment, things here are better with a beautiful sunny day in Messina. My best to you and Suzanne and the dog.
INGRID Z – HALLELUJAH (my Dad’s favorite word) indeed. Happy to hear your passport has made it and you will soon be on your way here. The temperatures have been up and down this cruise with a cold day in Venice and Dubrovnik but 80 degrees here today in Messina. Hopefully, the weather will be a little more consistent next cruise. If you have any concerns about walking, please let me know by leaving a note at the pursers’ information desk when you get here. Do this anyway just to say hello – don’t forget your cabin number. Thank you for your help with the mahjong game. I am sure you and your graduate will have better things to do then teach others how to play. I wish you were here now and I had a board or whatever you need so that I could make my best friend happy. See you both soon.
LANCE AND ILDA – What a fantastic review of the Carnival Miracle, it sounds like you had such a wonderful cruise. I have forwarded your comments to all concerned onboard and the directors in the office. I was particularly proud when you mentioned the shows. We, as a company are leaders in Ocean Going Entertainment and your comments prove that this statement continues to be true. I have said many times that I will never use this blog thingy to criticize another cruise line, however, I do agree that I can think of a thousand other things I want to do on a cruise before I want to climb a rock wall. If I really wanted to do that I would go, well, ……………rock climbing. I mean that with no disrespect to our friends over there, they have an amazing product but I do in this instance agree with you. So, kudos to the Carnival Miracle team and to you for your brilliant review. Please keep reading the blog thingy and I hope your next carnival cruise is as enjoyable as this one.
MEHYDER – Glad you liked the photos and I am working hard to persuade Carnival to help me with the book. I hope to sell this in the gift shops and online etc. It certainly would be a proud day for me. Hope you are well and thanks again for your continued reading of the blog thingy.
LOANSHUB – I think it’s a little of all three. Are you enjoying it?
LINDA JAHOSKY – Your cruise may feel a long time away so hopefully, in just a small way, this blog thingy will allow you to see what is going on before you. I, too, hope I see you when you finally take that well deserved vacation. Please keep reading.
SHEREE – Mon Sheree Amor. Although lovely I think the Olsen Twins are just below Richard Simmons as my choice of godmother for the Carnival Splendor. It has to be Angelina. Let me answer your post cruise tour question. I think it may be best to go to the Vatican Museum on your own first thing in the morning. This way you will be sure to make your 3:15 pm tour. What time do you arrive and how long do you have to do this? Send me your schedule please so I can analyze this further. As for spa volunteers to demonstrate treatments, we do this sometimes so I suggest you call 1199 as soon as you board and offer Madison’s services.
Thanks for your so kind words about Heidi and I; we both look forward to seeing you soon.
GREG – Only six more days to Thursday. Good, I am exhausted.
DENISE AND GARO – I love meeting first-time cruisers. The looks on your faces when you see and experience what you are about to will be priceless. Keep checking the web cam and reading the blog and I promise those priceless moments will be ones to cherish forever. See you both in August.
CAPT.CHUCK – Thanks Captain for the detailed information on mahjong which at least I know how to spell now. I have indeed ordered 6 sets but unfortunately this will not save me from the Tasmanian Devil that is Mrs ???. I can’t mention her name as if by some chance she was to read this I am sure I would be on the wrong end of a large pointed stick.
THAIS AND FABIAN – The Grand Istanbul tour will be available when you get onboard and we also have a new one which will include all the sites you want to see. Here is Heidi and some Dutch.
DAVID FROM BARBADOS – By now I am a mah jong expert and ready to play in the world championships. I wish I did have a board or whatever so I could play Mrs. ??? And beat her……………at the game………not actually beat her………….well …….! Thank you for your Sandy Lane story; it appears that some people really do believe that we can control weather. Overall, it’s been a great cruise but, as you pointed out, there are certainly some “characters” here on this cruise. I am going to have my photo with my new best friend and post this soon. It will be a cover photo, let’s see if I can get it done. See you soon and my best to you all in Barbados.
JTODDINMAN – I think it is Chinese Year of the Dog and I am Puppy Chow. Now, back to more serious matters. How right you are, Carnival does indeed offer many styles of dining and with the additions of supper clubs on many of our ships, plus the recently upgraded Lido food choices we really do have the best of both worlds. Thank you for pointing that out and it will be interesting to read others comments. Thanks again and hope you keep reading the blog.
HOTLANTA – Let’s get to the most important thing first Heidi has now told me that she has gone from Starburst (which she still loves) to her new favorite which is licorice or gummy bears and sour worms…………yuck! Now, on to shopping. There are great shops all over Europe but I think for jewelry your first shop to visit will be our onboard shops. They have a new and HUGE selection of diamonds and jewelry so have a look there. As for gold, well the Italian gold shops by the Ponte Veccia bridge in Florence are excellent and gold is still sold by the gram and at great prices. To answer your question about art, if you do purchase art from onboard at our auctions they will ship it home. However, if you purchase it ashore, you will have to mail this from the post offices in Europe (there is a large one at Rome Airport). With regard to getting your tax back you are correct that you will need to show your receipts, please. So, see you very soon and thanks for the sugar-free chocolate and the Aston Martin you are bringing me.
LES – We have now indeed added an announcement in Chinese not to save seats at the start of each show. It is frustrating and it’s my fault this was not handled better. I apologize and we are now on the right road. Thanks mate.
BOB FLYNN – Congratulations on becoming a Platinum member. You will love the benefits and I am sure you will never cruise on any other line now you have reached this special goal. I am sorry but the Platinum benefits are just for the folks in the same cabin as you but rest assured boarding is quick here and debarkation is even quicker. I look forward to meeting all of you soon and if you need anything while you are here, please let me know.
KATHLEEN A – hello Kathleen from Canada, eh? I think we have found our belly dancers but if your Canadian friends want to audition I will be happy to have a look.
I am going to leave this blog at that today so I can get it posted before the weekend.
I will write much more tomorrow and Sunday.
Until then, I wish you all a happy weekend and I am off to face the Great Wall of China.
Your friends
John and Heidi
Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
Another terrific blog entry! I really do not have any idea how you find the time, but I am so glad you somehow do. The photos taken by Heidi are stunning, and I hope you will include some of them in your book. Well, Carnival’s wonderful website informed me this morning that it is 444 days until our 8/18/08 Splendor sailing! We booked this within 10 days of returning from the 4/19 Freedom sailing. A great many of those we met on board have also booked one of the Baltic cruises next summer. I think that says a great deal. Even though next August seems far away, your blog provides a wonderful means of enjoying the anticipation even more! Thank you.
Dear John & Heidi,
.
Just recently signed onto your blog. Wish I had discovered all the wonderful information you share here daily prioir to my cruise this past April. Enjoy the humor and the “matter of facts” way you deliver. Need some help if your able. I was on the Glory for the 4/6/07 sailing to Mexico. My first cruise and I am hooked. Carnival staff have got it together. Especially loved the shows. Very “Vegas style” and top notch! I was fortunate to meet “Wee Jimmy” – we walked a couple of times together and he even invited me to sit with him the last night during the show. He was so kind, and I was so happy to find out he got his promotion – (thanks to your “blog thingy”.) I tried to send him a personal thank you note to an address I was given from Carnival. I sent it on 4/28 and got it back today 6/1. It was sent to two different addresses in Florida. Any chance you might have a good one?
As luck would have it, I mailed out today from work a congratulations card to the same wrong address. I guess I’ll get that back too in a month
Thank you all for your hard work keeping us up to date each day – Does your day contain 6 extra hours in it? How do you do it?
John -
I am out of the doghouse. Last night, Mrs MTSFPBLFTTNSFCF celebrated the blue moon by taking us all out (dog, cat and daughter included) to hug and kiss under the blue moon. All appears forgiven.
At least, I don’t have to duck flying staplers.
Jon
John and Heidi
We have been following your blog since April, and enjoy laughing with you about your exploits. Count us as fans. We are beyond excited to be joining you for the June 6 sailing of Freedom to celebrate our 15th anniversary(actual anniversary is June 5th). Thank you for your wit and insight, and the effort to share on your blog. However, we have no desire to learn Ma Jong- and hope it isn’t a planned activity. Question- Only one- We will be in cabin 1047 and Stephanie is a little concerned about motion sickness. How rough does the Med get? On our last cruise (Oosterdam- Mexican Riviera) we had 25 foot seas but we were on level 5. She did mostly ok but is still concerned because of the amplified motion at level 10. Keep up the great writing. Meet you soon, hopefully- Andy and Steph.
Oh my gosh, John, you make me laugh so much. I just finished reading today and yesterday’s blog and I have tears in my eyes. That story about the Chinese lady is hilarious. I could just picture the two of you on the deck with her poking her finger into your chest. I hope someone brings you the game for your next Chinese guest so you don’t have anymore problems.
I am planning to cruise on the Freedom on March 1/2008 with a couple of friends. This will be my 4th Carnival cruise having travelled on the Triumph, Glory, and Valor. I hope you will be the cruise director at that time. By the way, how do you pronounce your last name?
Keep writing your blog thingy as often as you can. I look forward to reading it every day.
Take care and I hope to meet you and Heidi one day.
Sincerely,
Cindy Wiley
Mississauga, ON Canada
Dear John and Heidi,
First, I must say that I can not find an Aston Martin that will fit in the remaining portion of my luggage. I will have to remove my raincoat. But then , that would mean if it rains on my vacation, you would have to provide me with an little umbrella. Fair trade, isn’t it? We leave on Tuesday for a Wednesday morning arrival. You may recognize us as the four happiest people ever to board a ship without their luggage. I am afraid that two separate carriers with only 1 and a half hours between flights may be a bit too much to ask that our luggage arrive in time for the cruise. But we will be grinning as Jeff is feeling well and Papa(my father-in-law is supposed to come home on Monday. Therefore we will actually be able to go on the most wonderful vacation of our lifetimes! I promise, if it rains on us, I will be nothing but grateful to the Cruise God Blog Director for the kind words and laughs that kept me sane for this trip! I got some pretty euros today. They look too nice to spend. Some of the June 6th, CC cruisers may try to convince the Maitre D’ to allow us to sit together. Your suggestions on how to approach the subject would be gratefully accepted. I have purchased some lovely sugar free Russell Stover to bring to you.Last chance to request from the Southern states. Grits? mah jong boards? Let me know.
Can we still book the supper club when you first enter in the lobby? I am trying to feel out the best night to go. When is lobster night again? I am too old to retain this information. Perhaps if I lubricate the brain with some fermented grape it will come back to me…….Kap
Hi Guy,
Did you look by the shuffleboard court for the mahjongg set?
I wonder if you are set up for a Chinese reality gag show? You’ll have to look around and see who is wearing the hidden camera, and ask her where it is.
Hi again,
If you do not get a Mah Jong, let me know. I may have one I never used.
Our time table in Rome. I am not sure. What time could we be expected to arrive at the Visconti Palace on debarkation day July 12? We are booked through Carnival. We don’t have anything booked until the 3:15 Necropolis tour.
Thanks for your help. If I throw a fit can I get all the wonderful service. (LOL) It is funny the squeeky wheel does tend to get oiled. But I’d rather have fun and not stress. Have a great weekend. Sheree
Well, my long awaited trip is just a few short days away as my best friend and I will be boarding the Freedom on Wednesday, June 6. I am looking forward to an experience of lifetime and after reading this bloggy thing for the past two months I know that this will be a wonderful trip. See you in a few.
I have just discovered this” blog thingy”…I have being crying with laughter at some points. Love the filed under blogroll. Anyway, I have friends on the ship right now. Sure hope they are not dining with China Town. They are celebrating their Anniversary.
Looking forward to your cover photo!!!
We are booked on the April 2008 TransAtlantic Cruise. Only 329 days to go! Do you have ballroom dance classes?
I want to hear all about the Great Wall of China! That is one place I would love to visit. Post any pictures you have please.
CNN just did a story on Maddy here in the states…still praying….I can’t get her sweet face out of my mind.
I just want you to remember you can’t please everybody all the time…but $150…think she wants to buy a new outfit. You should have offered her $150 off her next cruise…and suggest a different cruise line….LOL…the rest of the Carnival guests don’t want a sour puss around…hmmm…wonder if you know what that means…LOL.
Oh, one more thing, the shows that Carnival puts on are great! I am always sad to see them end! The talent on the ships are unbelievable! In fact…sometimes we sneak in to watch it again because they are so good!
Keep posting!
Ghost Lady
Hi John. My very first Carnival cruise was aboard the Triumph, in November the first year she was in service. You were the CD then. I had the pleasure of being aboard her again a few years later, and there you were. Loved the Mexican Hat Dance you did with another passenger. You always had me laughing. Never have I been on another cruise where the CD is as good as YOU! Are you coming back to the States to do the Caribbean Itins anymore?
I also had to laugh about the whole weather being Carnival’s fault thing. I have found that many people leave their brains at home while on vacation. I had worked for Walt Disney World for a few years in their reservation dept. One of the most common complaints we would get is that while Mrs. X or whoever was in the parks, it rained. It was almost like they expected WDW to put a bubble around the whole complex so it wouldnt rain. Common question was, “Do you give rain checks?” Yeah, sure we do and we also offer your money back if it became too hot while in the parks. Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox. I just felt like I could relate.
Keep up the good job. My hubby and I with our 3 yr old son are looking at the Splendor next year. Sure hope you are the CD!
Hello John and Heidi!
We didn’t get you an Aston Martin (yet!! : ), but we did get you a Mahjong game at a toy shop in Karlsruhe today! We’ll be bringing it on June 18th. So let us hope that you won’t have any guests requesting it on the June 6th cruise! Keep it always beside you since it will be your talisman against angry guests, and get you out of all troubles!
Why should anyone ever be angry on a cruise??? You can chat to so many new people, see beautiful places (and amazing sunsets, great pics today!), enjoy all the entertainment on board when it’s raining, or just laughing about the memories of being soaked after a rainy day ashore!
De groetjes, Thais&Fabian
ps. thanks 4 the tour info!
yes john nice sunny day (saturday) in New Jersey, always a good day hearing from you and reading your blog. Thanks for the nice comments.
ps the dog is doing great, as I read the blog she is one step away, right by my feet….. the tomatoe plants are doing great, lots of flowers on them already but we need some good old steady rain..
I have a feeling you may end up owning more mahjong games than anyone (including the chinese woman) could ever hope to own!
Good Morning,
We will be on the june 18 07 sailing and are wondering about the weather Temp (Average Temp)? We have a party of 7 and are limited (like everyone) with weight restrictions on luggage.
I understand this is a new ship, Is it WI-FI Compatible, IE: can I use my laptop anywhere on the ship or in certain locations?
We have heard that other cruises have replaced the stops in Turkey with other ports due to safety reasons. Does your current itinerary still include ports in Turkey?
Thankyou for your assistance.
>>Why should anyone ever be angry on a cruise???
Good question.
I will never forget the night that Just Du’et had to stop their show because of the couple who were arguing at the bar (both of them were three sheets to the wind). John & Diane would play louder and they would argue louder. It was as if their voices were connected to the volume switch on the amplifiers.
Ask John & Diane about “You don’t love me anymore”
Hello John & Heidi…. We have just booked four cabin’s for the Oct. 29 / 08 Transatlantic Crossing aboard the Splendor. I can’t begin to tell you how excited our family is with this trip. My husband and I have cruised before on the Glory but for the rest of the family this will be their first cruise.
It really is sad when our cruise is over 500 days away and they have started a count down (and have already had a pre cruise party)! I want to apoligize in advance to all other passangers booked on this cruise, when the O’Leary clan get’s together you can be sure there will be a party. Can you let us know what the weather is normally like at this time of year?
Kellie
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Thanks for the welcome, John! And thanks for the info about Carnival. I agree…it is a shame that people love to say negative things about Carnival. I will definitely take a look as we continue our planning. No one has the 2009 Europe stuff out now and we knew that we will have a long wait anyway, but right now we’re just sort of gathering preliminary info on cruise lines and ports we absolutely must include in the itinerary we choose. So any port info you my have (your favorites, things we have to see and do, etc.) would be very much appreciated! We are waiting patiently (ok, well a bit impatiently, but we’re still waiting) for any actual cruise info for 2009 so if you are able to get anything early I would absolutely love it!!! I think we might be able to wait a few more weeks….
Holland America was wonderful and spoiled us very very much. I can’t say enough about the Hotel Manager and the Captain that really went all out for our Cruise Critic group. (Don’t much remember the CD though…probably would have been even better if you had been there based on what I read from all of your many fans.) We went to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta)….it was beautiful. We did see the Carnival Pride in Puerto Vallarta (I think I may even have a picture of her from our ship) but that was the only other ship we saw in port all week, so it wasn’t crowded anywhere and the ports were gorgeous. I’ve traveled a bit, but I had never been to that side of Mexico. You asked what we like to do onboard…let’s see…sit in the sun, relax, eat, sit in the sun some more, drink beverages that help you walk straighter when the ship is moving, eat, sun, eat, drink, sun…you get the idea. At night we loved the piano bar and met a really fun (but small) group of people that we ended up spending a lot of our evenings in the nightclub with. We’re pretty easy to entertain…a chair in the sun near a bar and we’re good for the day. We didn’t go to the shows (we went to part of one and it was very cheesy and not especially good, so we never went back) but did enjoy the house band and the dancing in the Crow’s Nest at the top of the ship. We loved being able to order anything from room services (hot breakfast, etc) even being in an inside cabin (which, from what I understand, several other lines don’t do….does Carnival so this?)….there were plenty of other things, and I could go on and on but this is long enough already….apologies!! I would assume a lot of what we enjoyed we could find on Carnival as well….right?
Thanks again and good luck with your Chinese lady…I sincerely hope that you are ableto find something to pacify her. A beat down from someone 4 ft 5 is never fun! (Trust me…my mom is only slight taller than that, so I know!)
Hi John and Heidi-
I too have been reading your blog since the beginning and I continued to enjoy your humor and advice about Carnival and the Freedom. My husband and I -along with my mother and her friend- will be on the Freedom with you and Heidi on August 29th. Needless to say… we can’t wait!
Question: We really want to visit the Vatican Museum and St. Peters but we’re not sure what day to go. We are arriving one day early and staying on the Hilton near the airport. Also, the day the Freedom spends the night in Rome is a Sunday (September 9th) so we can’t visit on that day. Do you recommend we go the day before embarkment or wait until the day we debark? What tour should we take?
hello john
whe also have a birhtday in our group while whe are on the ship. my nefew becomes 22.
what can whe arange for him
its the 15 off july
whe are on the ship the 12 off july
a group from 9 at the netherlands
sorry for my bad englisch
greetzzz marij van dinter
John,
Sorry to bother you again. But are we able to book Florence & Pisa with Tower entrance? It does not come up on my reservation list or is it not available on our cruise? Sheree
Bouno Serra John,
Well I goofed! With all the graduation activty going on here this last month I did not book the excursion that we wanted before the 7 day cut off. Please tell me that I will still be able to get it booked when we get on the ship. We definetely wanted to do the Florence and Pisa trip. Please let me know what I should do to get this excursion booked. Got to see David in Florence. My husbands name is David and anytime we see the statue of David he has to duplicate the pose(normally he does it fully clothed). It makes me laugh and ours kids cringe! So it is perfect. See you soon.
Well we are now getting ready to leave for the airport. We are so excited. I packed your DB9 and we are on our way! Can’t wait to see you on Wednesday!!!!!
Hi john and Heidi
Just got to say John that along with fellow bloggers I have found your antics lately to be hilarious! in particular those with Ninja Myrtle,I find your patience with these people to be beyond the call of duty, but I guess in your position you have no mahjong for error .
Best wishes to you and Heidi
Hi John
We would like to go on a trip around Rome when we arrive back on our last day of the cruise as we have a 4pm flight, but we have to go to Ciampino airport for Stanstead, all of the trips seem not to go on to this airport, is it possible to ‘disembark’ sometime from one of the official trips and make our own way to the airport ( we are thinking mainly of the problem of the luggage).
Best wishes
Bill and Sue
We’re Here !!!! Arrived in Rome early Saturday morning and are enjoying the sites! And the food. And the wine. It did rain on Sunday while we were out ~ but we are from the great Pacific NW (Seattle, WA) so a little rain is doable.
No more “F” word please : ) Freestyle that is. Sure you can go down for dinner anytime you like, but when you actually get a table and get to eat can be 45 minutes later!! We love meeting new people and sharing dinner every night, and love having the same waitstaff who know what you want to drink and remember that I like all of my desserts “ala mode” with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
We are in Rome and cruising the Carnival Freedom in just a few days with dinner mates from our Inspiration Cruise in Feb 1999! ‘nuf said.
John ~ thank you for the supper club reservations altho we have to admit, the 4 course lunch we had today in Rome for 10 euro each today was a great warm up! We won’t be having dinner tonite.
So ~ we shall see you soon!!
Janet & Phil
Hi John,
Guess I’m a few days off, but wanted to pass along some info on the bus from Marittima to Piazzale Roma.
It’s hard to miss the bus since it is right next to the ship.
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/free07/venice/monday/monp/IMG_0364.JPG
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/free07/venice/monday/monp/IMG_0363.JPG
I took the bus once and walked the rest of the time. I didn’t think it was a bad walk but some of it is uphill (or upbridge) and some people didn’t care for that. Walking back is easier.
The fare was 5 euros round trip for the bus, but they also took US dollars – at least back in March they did. So 5 euros or $6 US at that time. $6 US was the better deal and still is – if they have the same prices.
John, I first saw you on our cruise 9/04 aboard the Carnival Glory. Amidst Hurricane Jeanne and a few extra days at sea, you managed to keep everyone in check. Willy and Anita Banger was hilarious. My only regret is that I didn’t purchase the video. You have been the best cruise director I’ve seen by far. Leaving this Saturday onboard the Glory once again to go the Virgin Islands. Hopefully, there won’t be a hurricane to change our course as this was the case last time. Love your blog!
My comment is still awaiting moderation. Hummmm. We leave in a day and a half. We are all so excited! See you soon.
Have fun in China.